Shadow Reapers

*Thats fine..I had said english before so it works perfectly..*

Hill-

He had lost his train of thought. Two students had interrupted his lecture now and he was intrigued by both. The first girl was blind, he had met her the night before, and she had a ghost lingering over her. The second, Itchidan, seemed like he had a secret. He decided to stop with Grammar for the day as his brain wouldn't work.
He turned to the class, "I trust you have all read for today." He held up the book they were reading, Midsummer Night's Dream, "in fact maybe the smart ones read ahead." He smirked, his eyes flitting up to the blind girl and her ghost friend-could she sence that the ghost was there?

(It's spelled Ichidan, by the way.)

"I want you all to read up to chapter twenty-seven by tomorrow." The entire class groaned. "Class dismissed."

Everyone got out of their seats and made their way out of the classroom. Ichidan made his way over to Kai's desk. "Hi there, my name is Ichidan. What's yours?"

Kai gave him a funny look. "You know my name, and what are you doing here?"

It was Ichidan's turn to be confused. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." He made a nodding motion with his head toward the rest of the class as they filed out of the room.

Kai understood what he was trying to tell him. The conversation they were about to have was not for the ears of anyone else. He nodded and said, "My name is Kai."

"It's nice to meet you, Kai," Ichidan said. "I'm still new at this college. If you're not too busy would you mind showing me around campus?" He winked after he said the last part.

Kai winked back. "Sure."


As Kestrel started gathering her brail textbooks she watched as the people shaped flames walked out of the classroom. Most of the students appeared as very weak gray flames, but one or two, including the teacher, we stronger white flames. As she wondered why the flames were so different two of them walked by that made her stop.

The first one was blue, just like her mother's ghost. But this one seemed stronger and more solid in shape. The one walking next to him was a swirling mass of red energy, energy so strong she could almost feel it on the back of her tongue. From what she heard, the blue one was the new student Ichidan and the red was a guy named Kai.

(Is no one else going to post?)

Kestrel

Kestrel tried hard not to stare at either the red flame figure or the blue flame figure and instead directed her gaze towards the faint, grey outline in front of her. She could see, she could see other human beings! Admittedly only their outline but it was something and it detracted from the darkness that had begun to feel so lonely and oppressive.

"Kestrel, I'd like a word," professor Hill said. Kestrel made her way down to the front, followed by her mother's spirit who rested a reassuring hand against her shoulder. She looked up at the professor and then slightly to the side, recalling that she should not be able to tell exactly where his face was, that she should not look directly at him.

"Sir?" Kestrel asked, wondering if his eyes were trained on her or her mother; she could not quite tell. Maybe features will become clearer with time, Kestrel hoped.

"I wanted to ask a personal question. Do you believe in the supernatural, Kestrel?"

"I believe in ghosts," Kestrel replied with a small smile.

Kai and Ichidan found a secluded area in the courtyard to talk. It was under a tree near one of the college's walls. It was a few yards away from the sidewalk, but at this time of day people don't usually come out of the college anyway. Most people still had classes to go to.

"Alright, Ichidan. What are you doing here?" Kai asked in a serious tone. "Shouldn't you have gone back to Soul Society?"

"Right to the point I see. Unfortunately, I can't go back right now."

"Why not?" Kai asked.

"The only ones who can return there are death gods," Ichidan said. "I no longer have that ability. Last night, my powers as a death god were nearly consumed by you." He held his hand up and looked at it. "So now, thanks to you I'm forced to use this faux body."

"I was wondering why everyone was able to see you," Kai said. "But I thought you were a spirit, that you didn't have a physical body."

"I don't," he said. "What I have now is what we call a gigai, it's a temporary body that's dispensed for emergency use. Death gods who are extremely weakened use these bodies as they wait for their powers to recover. So until then, I'm your classmate."

Kai nodded. "I guess that makes sense. But, why do you have to be a student here? You could have found some place in town to wait for your powers to return."

"Yes, but then I wouldn't be close to you."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"As you know, because my powers have substantially weakened I can't fight at my full strength, so I can't perform my duties as a death god. Therefore, until my powers return to me you'll be helping me with my work as a death god."

**Sorry I haven't posted. I've been on two field trips in two days!**

Audra

I finally found Kai after class, walking with an Oriental-looking boy in the courtyard. They were deep in discussion; as I drew nearer, I heard them both using the terms like "death god" and "powers" and "Hollow" and "spirits."

Is he a warrior, too? I stepped up beside Kai. "Hey, Kai. Who's your new friend?"

Kai was so shocked with what Ichidan said that he didn't even notice Audra until she came up to him and spoke. He jumped a little when he heard her voice. "Oh, hey Audra." He turned to Ichidan and said, "This is Ichidan Hatsuga, the death god from last night."

"What?" Audra looked at him, not believing her eyes. "You're a death god? Why are you dressed like a student?" Kai briefly explained to Audra that Ichidan was using a gigai, or faux body. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ichidan."

"Anyway," Kai said, "as much as I'd like to, I can't help you."

"You have to," Ichidan said. "You're the only one who has death god powers right now. You don't have the right to refuse."

"Look, I don't care what you think. I'll be damned if I ever have to fight a monster like that again."

Ichidan frowned. "Don't be absurd! Last night you fought magnificently!"

"That's because my girlfriend was being attacked." He looked at Audra then. "Not to be cruel, but I couldn't fight for total strangers."

Audra stared at Kai, not knowing what to think. She had always thought of him as a brave and noble individual. Now he was refusing to help someone because he was afraid. "Kai..."

Kai turned back to Ichidan. "I'm sorry if it seems like I'm betraying you, though." He grabbed Audra's hand. "Come on, Audra. Let's get something to eat."

Ichidan watched as they started to walk away. "I see..." He took a glove out from his pocket and put it on his right hand. The glove was red and had a picture of a burning skull with blue and black flames on one side. "Then I have no choice." He started running at Kai. "Hey!"

Kai turned to see Ichidan rushing him. He didn't have enough time to move before Ichidan slammed his palm against his face. Kai felt his spirit literally rip from his own body when Ichidan's hand made contact with him. When Kai regained his balance he looked at Ichidan to see the man standing beside his body.

"My body!" Kai shouted. He looked at himself to see he was wearing the same clothes he wore the other night when his spirit was forced from his body. "What did you do!?"

Audra looked confused and shocked as her head went from Kai's body to his spirit. "What's going on!?" she shouted.

"Relax," Ichidan said. "You can return to your body when we finish our job. Now, come with me." He turned to Audra and said, "You come, too, Audra."

"Hold on a second!" Kai said. "Tell me what the hell is going on!"

"I'll tell you later, now let's go."

Hill-

Hill looked around and waited for the room to clear out before continuing.
"This is a little personal too, but have you had any close deaths lately?"
She hesitated before answering, "My- my mother." He stared at the gohst hovering near the girl, then turned his eyes back to Kestral.
"Kestral, do you think your mother is still...with you?"
"With me?" She shifted her weight uncomfortable.
"Maybe, protecting you?"

Kestrel

Kestrel forced a laugh and smiled. "Well yeah, sure, we all like to think that they're still with us, you know? And sometimes... sometimes it's so hard to let go..." Behind her, Kestrel's mother smiled and gently squeezed her shoulder and Kestrel smiled in return. Professor Hill folded his arms across his chest.

"Will it help if I tell you I can see her too?" Professor Hill asked simply. Kestrel looked up, wishing she could discern his expression; could he be telling the truth? What would he have to gain from lying? He must be!

"That must be what a white aura shows," Kestrel murmured, "the ability to see ghosts." Professor Hill raised an eyebrow and she blushed. "Sorry, sir. Just... thinking aloud."

"No, do go on. Explain. A white aura?"

"Well... I've started to see outlines of people and they come in different shades and yours is white but I'm certain you're human and as far as I know, the only difference between you and the other humans is that you can see ghosts. Right?"

"That sounds... possible."

"Possible?" Kestrel echoed, "If it was happening to anyone other than me, I'd think them crazy. I mean, what with that demon and.."

"What demon?" Proffessor Hill demanded.

"Last night," Kestrel said. "The one that the red guy destroyed."

(Just so we can keep this going, I'll post something else before Ayumi does. Sorry if this post seems a bit long.)

Before they left the campus they had brought Kai's body back to his dorm. It was a wonder nobody saw them dragging his body through the building. They followed Ichidan down the street. He had his cell phone open and he seemed to be text messaging or something.

As they walked Audra looked up at Kai's spiritual body. He didn't look anything like a ghost. In fact he seemed solid, flesh and all. She reached out to him and touched his shoulder to make sure he was real. Kai looked down at her. "So, you really can see me."

"Yeah, I can."

"That business with the Hollow last night must have caused it. Now you can see ghosts just like I can."

Audra nodded. "I guess so."

"We're here," Ichidan said, still texting on his phone.

They had arrived at a small children's park. Beside them was a streetlamp with a vase with a flower. It wasn't Kyra's streetlamp, the ghost Kai visited everyday, but there should have been a spirit around here somewhere.

"Why have you brought us here?" Kai asked.

Ichidan closed his cell and put it back in his pocket. "I just got orders from Soul Society. It seems a child's soul is being targeted."

Just then they heard a boy screaming, followed by a crash. They turned to see one of the slides had been crushed. Next was the swing set, then the jungle gym. A child's spirit ran from the debris, followed by a spider-like Hollow.

"HELP!!!" The boy screamed.

Kai began to run toward the child. "Stop!" Ichidan shouted.

"What?" Kai said, looking at him.

"Why should you help him? That child is a total stranger, isn't he?"

Kai frowned hard at him. "That doesn't mean I can just not save him, not when he's being attacked right before my very eyes!"

"Don't be so selfish!" Ichidan yelled. "Death gods must be fair toward all souls. Wanting to save only those you can reach, only those you can see, this work isn't that convenient!"

The child let out another scream that forced Kai to turn around.

"Don't save him!" Ichidan yelled. "If you want to save that child now be prepared to save all other spirits as well! Be prepared to save them even if it means chasing them all around and sacrificing yourself!"

Kai stood there, unmoving as the child ran for dear life from the Hollow that was about to consume him. Kai's hands balled into tight fists as he helplessly watched. Audra had understood what Ichidan said, too, but...

"Kai..." Audra whispered. Kai heard Audra's voice and looked over his shoulder at her. She could see it in his eyes. He was scared, afraid that he might make the wrong decision. He looked away and closed his eyes.

The boy tripped on a rock and fell. The Hollow lifted one of its long spear-like legs and brought it down on the soul. There was a blur of black, followed by the sound of metal against flesh, then the Hollow's leg flew off its body. The Hollow let out an agonizing howl as it fell from lack of balance from its missing leg. In front of it stood Kai, his large sword covered in black liquid.

"Are you prepared, Kai?" Ichidan asked.

Without turning to face him, Kai said, "No I'm not." He sighed. "Be prepared, I don't care about that! I saved this kid because I wanted to. Are you any different?"

"What?" Ichidan asked.

Kai turned to face Ichidan. "Last night, you risked your life to save us. At that moment, were you thinking about your duty as a death god? When you risk your life, that isn't the reason."

The Hollow had gotten back up and was now scurrying toward Kai. Audra pointed at it and shouted, "Kai, look out!"

Kai ignored her and kept his gaze on Ichidan. "At least, for me..." The Hollow let out its eerie howl as it sprang forward. As Kai spun to around, sword in hand, he yelled, "...IT'S NOT!!!" He plunged his sword into the creature's head, piercing through its tough bone-like mask with ease.

As the Hollow disintegrated around Kai's sword he said, "You don't think about risking your own life to save someone else's, it's instinctive."

(Hey, kitty. This would be a good time to set in motion what I talked to you about in that PM.)

<Rei>

'I knew it!' I gasped, raising my fist childishly. Professor hill and Kestrel turned to the door from which I peered. 'I mean...'

'You, can see them too?' Kestrel asked.

'Of course,' I lied. 'Kind of.' Not really. 'Someone tell me about these ghosts and demons.'

(You've got to put more than that in your posts, Tag.)

Audra

I watched, silent and still as Kai fought. He moved so quickly, and was so strong...yet...He had refused to help Ichidan, and now he was helping a kid. What was going on? Why was he acting like this?

I approached him after the battle.

"Kai, why don't you help Ichidan? He's right, and you know it," I whispered. "If you're going to help one soul, you need to help others, regardless of them being 'strangers' or not! It's who you are now, and it's what you do! You can't change that."

I took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I hoped that I was able to convince him...

Kestrel

I squinted, trying to make out the hazy, grey mist that wriggled amongst the darkness but it was making my head hurt.

"No white aura," I sighed. "So she can't see ghosts and I'm having trouble seeing her." I smiled at the irony.

"Alright, come in here Rei and close the door behind you," Professor Hill ordered. Soft, shuffling footsteps and the click of the door told me she had obeyed and as she moved, the grey outline flickered, stronger. I can see her better when she moves! And people spend more time moving than staying still so... I allowed my thoughts to vanish as I suddenly felt a horrific light burning across my pupils.

I turned rapidly to see that, somewhere in the distance, two bright, blindingly blue creatures were approaching.

"There's more of them," I gasped.

"Hollows," Professor Hill said. "But why at the school?"

"Are they evil?" Rei asked, a blend of excitement and anxiety in her voice.

"Yes," my mother answered, "they must be after me." No! I thought. No, they can't be, I won't let them take her - can someone die a second time?

"Let's go!" I shouted.

"Where to?" Professor Hill asked.

"Last night, one of these was killed by a red figure. It was in our class today - a boy called Kai - and maybe he can help, maybe he can defeat these two." As I said this, I took my mother's hand as much to take strength as to give it and together, we all fled the classroom.

"You'll have to guide me," I said quietly. "I know where they are but there could be buildings or people between us and them and I wouldn't know."

Kai stared into her eyes for a few moments before looking at the child's ghost and saying, "You're safe, you can go now."

The boy nodded and said, "Th-thank you." He ran off and disappeared into thin air.

He turned to Ichidan next. "Ichidan, can you give us a moment?"

"Of course." He left them to talk in privacy.

"Audra, I don't know what to think anymore," he told her. "Just a few days ago I was just some guy who wanted to become a video game designer, and now I'm a death god who has to forsake his life to save the souls of people I've never even met? This isn't what I wanted, I didn't ask for this."

"You wanted the power to protect those you care about," Audra said. "Now that you have it, you're refusing to help innocent souls from becoming those... things just because you don't know them?" She squeezed his hand tighter. "I know you better than that, Kai. You'd never turn your back on another person if you knew you could help them, even if they are strangers. I don't believe that's really the case."

Kai sighed and looked away. "This isn't who I am. I'm not like Ichidan, I wasn't born a death god. I was born a human. I’ll never be like him, even if I wanted to." He pulled his hands out of Audra's grip and looked at them. "This isn't my power, this isn't who I am. If I need strength to protect the ones I care about I want it to be my own, not just a transfer of energy from someone else."

"Then make it your own strength." He turned back to Audra. "Power is power, it doesn't matter where it came from. All that matters is the person who uses it. Sure, it came from Ichidan, but it's your power now. Where ever it came from is irrelevant, the important thing is how you use it."

"I can't save everyone."